Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 04/03/2010 10:14 AM | LifeSpending just a little time in Indonesia was enough to make British executive Richard think: “I’d love to live here someday.”

That was back in 1997 when he first travelled to the country as a student, and now, the 41-year-old man lives in South Jakarta, with his Indonesian wife and two children. “I like it here. My wife is an Indonesian and I have interesting work here,” said Richard, who requested his full name not be published. “Indonesia is my only home.” So as his only home, it is easy to understand why Richard followed his dream in purchasing a house in Indonesia – although the word “purchase” doesn’t really mean he fully owns his property.

“There are some conditions, and you must satisfy [them],” he said, referring to the current policy that allows a foreigner to own only one residential property for a certain period of time – not for forever. The policy, under the 1996 regulation on foreign ownership, only allows expatriates to hold a leasehold title (or hak pakai) for 25 years, with the possibility of extending it another 25 and a further 20 years. This regulation is based on the 1960 Basic Agrarian Law, which stipulates that foreigners can only hold the right to use a property for not more than 70 years.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta “JuD9e mE aLL y0u wAnT, jUSt keEp tHe VeRdiCt t0 y0uRsELf.”When you see text written in this kind of style, you think: (a) That’s cool. (b) Whoever wrote that should be shot, or have their fingers broken. (c) So what? If that’s the writer’s style ... If your answer is (b), then you could be part of a growing club whose members use the word “alay” to refer to — or mock — anyone who types using a mix of upper and lower case letters and numbers.The word alay has no exact meaning or obvious derivation; it seems to have come out of nowhere. However, it refers to something “tacky” and “cheesy” (norak or kampungan, in Indonesian). Alay is used to describe, critically, how certain people dress (like fashion victims), what kind of music they listen to (usually fans of Malay-sounding bands like ST 12, Wali or Kangen Band) and how they write things (they try to make words sound “cuter”, like replacing “home” with “humzz”). What’s more, they mix up the upper and lower case letters. An example of this last case is young Ophi A. Bubu, who became a popular target of people irritated by her preference for playing with her letters.Ophi who?Ophi A. Bubu. The high school student from Banyuwangi of East Java, who says she was born in 1991, shot to fame in the virtual world for her postings on her Facebook page.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, JakartaIenes Angela remembered back to a long time ago when she sat in a church and felt uncomfortable. It was an unpleasant experience. She felt as though she didn't belong because people were staring at her. "All I wanted to do was worship God, but they treated me like I didn't belong. So I gave up on going to church," said the slim, tall and tanned transvestite. "I cannot understand why so many people view waria (transvestites) as not being human. We have basic rights just like them," Ienes, 34, told The Jakarta Post. Ienes said it was hard to uphold her rights in most aspects of life, not just at church. Seeking employment in the formal sector was a difficult task, she said. Work opportunities in the formal sector for transvestites are limited, with most employers reluctant to have waria in their offices. With such restrictions, Ienes said many waria were forced to work as prostitutes or street singers to survive. She said once she applied for a position as a telemarketer with a company in Jakarta. The job involved selling hotel memberships to people via the telephone. "The manager told me the company would employ me only if I agreed to cut my long hair and dress in male clothing," she said. "What do such jobs have to do with appearance? I didn't need to meet customers face-to-face."

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 01/29/2010 12:54 PM | Life In the past seven years, hair straightening, also called hair rebonding in Southeast Asian countries, has mainly been the preserve of glossy fashion and beauty magazines.Early this year, however, hair rebonding has made headlines in all kinds of Indonesian media — thanks to a group of East Java clerics who issued an edict forbidding Muslim women from modifying their hair — the way rebonding does. A war of words ensued as people bounced arguments around. But of course, not everyone joined the game. Din Syamsuddin, leader of Muhammadiyah, one of the biggest Muslim organizations in Indonesia, decided to keep his lips sealed. “There is no need [to discuss this],” he said. The former chairman of Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Tifatul Sembiring, opted for the same tactic. “Don’t ask me,” said the now minister of communications and information.

A number of famous hairstylists also refused to comment. “No comment,” said noted hairdresser and businessman Rudy Hadisuwarno, although he seemed to say it a less serious way. Is that even enough?Nope. A number of Muslim hair salons took a vow of silence almost, worrying about whether they would say the wrong things.

There were times when we opened mailboxes and smiled as we found letters from the ones we cared about. Moments when we enjoyed picking the most beautiful paper, choosing the right words to pen and mailing our letters. Those days, however, have gone for most of us. Emails have replaced letters; e-cards have substituted traditional greeting cards. And to mention text messages and instant messenger services, as well as Facebook and Twitter, just makes it clearer: Snail mail is losing its attraction.If this leads us anywhere then, it would be to realize it has been a long time since we saw — or used — the once-adored postage stamps. Just go to any warung (traditional stall), for example, it’s likely you won’t find stamps anymore. Or go to schools, and there’s little chance you will see children exchanging their stamp collections — they way some of us might have back in the old days. “Back in the day, people often wrote letters, so they became familiar with stamps and were drawn to collecting them,” said Berthold Sinaulan, the spokesman for the Indonesian Philatelists Association (PFI). “But today, they don’t receive [snail] mail anymore — so how can we expect them to fall in love with stamps?”

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta "Hi little brother, will your eyeball also be removed like mine?" Four-year-old Aisya Putri hugged one-year-old Fesa Rahmandika, planting a warm kiss on the little boy's cheek. These two children are not siblings; they are strangers. But Fesa's half-closed eyes quickly attracted Aisya's attention and affection. "He can't see (clearly), just like me," said Aisya, an eye cancer survivor. "And he has no hair, too, like me," she grinned, touching the fluffy strands of hair on her head - all that's left after chemotherapy. It is unexpected to find such good humor in a little girl like Aisya, who has just lost one of her eyes. Six months ago, her life took a sudden turn and she was forced to battle bravely against cancer. She was diagnosed with retinoblastoma and underwent surgery to remove her right eyeball. Nine-year-old Yulia Pratami was diagnosed with ovarian cancer; she lost her uterus. "The doctor told me that I no longer have a uterus. He can say that, but it's all up to God to decide the rest," Yulia said, with the wisdom one might expect of an adult. After less than three years of treatment, Yulia has blossomed into a brave little girl with, some would say, even more confidence and charisma than before. "I know a girl older than me who died because of ovarian cancer, but I have to keep my spirits up and be strong," she said.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 03/23/2010 8:53 AM | Life If the lost Atlantis continent was found – and proven not to be a myth, we might record the discovery as one of the most significant in mankind’s history.No wonder then, that for over two millenniums, many scholars and scientists have devoted their lives to uncovering this mystery Greek philosopher Plato alluded to in 355 B.C., all seeking the truth about this sunken superior civilization, including its exact location.Brazilian scientist Arysio Nunes dos Santos is one of these devotees. For more than 30 years, the late nuclear physics professor carried out his research encompassing geology, archeology, ethnology, paleontology, linguistics, astronomy and comparative mythology. Nothing special about his multi-disciplinary approach — except that he came up with a shocking conclusion: Indonesia is the heart of Atlantis. A great surprise indeed, as the discovery means Indonesia is the place where civilization first flourished – given Plato’s idea that Atlantis is the source of all civilizations. Whether this represents good news for Indonesians, is subject to debate – as Indonesian scientists are divided about Santos’ hypotheses.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 01/27/2010 3:41 PM | Life Imagine President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono picking up his guitar, plucking its strings and singing a song. Hard to fathom? Well, pigs are not flying yet, but believe it or not, Yudhoyono does on occasions turn himself into an artist, entertaining people with his vocal talent. One day, on a trip to Brussels last month, for example, Yudhoyono belted a few songs over the plane's loudspeaker stroking his beloved guitar, causing a few journalists - about to take a nap - to blink. "He (Yudhoyono) could just write songs on the plane... in Tampak Siring (Palace)... or during his trips to other countries like Australia," State Minister for Youth and Sports Affairs Andi Mallarangeng said Sunday. "...He would just pick up his guitar, pluck it a bit here and there, then he would ask us to sing his songs for him," he added.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 08/30/2010 10:56 AM | FeatureFor some people, putting their thoughts into words might be as easy as falling off a log. For others, however, writing is simply difficult.

“I can’t write for nuts,” confessed 31-year-old Badai Aqrandista. “I usually get stuck after the first two or three paragraphs and don’t know what else to write after that,” he added.An IT programmer by profession, Badai is starving to write — he wants to create magic with words and make wonders with few sentences. But because he just doesn’t know where to start, he’s considering to take up a writing course.“I think it’s cool to be able to write; to persuade others through writing,” he said. “Back in Australia, I searched for writing courses, but ended up finding nothing but classes that had long durations, like one year.”So, on his return to Jakarta, Badai is once again looking for a writing course, while keeping himself motivated by reading a book titled Keep Your Hand Moving, written by Anwar Holid.“I just need to find out how to turn this [writing] obsession into a burning passion,” Badai said.Badai is not alone. Swistien Kustantyana is another aspiring writer, who although didn’t start from scratch, felt she needed a boost to unlock her talent.“My short story was once published in a magazine, and it made me go like, ‘wow, I can actually do it!’” said 28-year-old Swistien. “That experience tickled my inner writer so much I felt I needed to attend a writing course,” she added.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 04/21/2010 11:07 AM | Feature Girls are made of sugar and spice, and everything nice. Boys are made of snips and snails, and puppy-dog tails.The famous lines — made popular through an old nursery rhyme — might sound nothing but funny to us. But if we look beyond those amusing words, we will soon realize they are ridden with gender stereotypes.Yes, like it or not, the rhyme assumes that women should possess loving, kind and sweet personalities – as opposed to the tough, rough and aggressive traits said to belong to men.And poor Kartini. Although she has been hailed as Indonesia’s first feminist, the Javanese aristocrat, who was born in 1879, was actually the “victim” of this kind of gender construction. Over the past decades, her image has been “remodeled” to reinforce the country’s patriarchal culture, as revealed by feminist scholar Saskia Eleonora Wieringa.

As far back as Indonesia’s colonial period, “Kartini was actually depicted as a brilliant and rebellious woman who fought for women’s right to education,” said Wieringa, who currently visited Jakarta to attend the April Festival, a celebration of women.

During the Old Order regime under former president Sukarno, she went on, Kartini symbolized the struggle against Dutch colonial arrogance, as her mother come from an oppressed working class background.

But then, “the New Order regime tamed [the image of] Kartini and narrowed her to a woman with a domestic role,” said the professor at the University of Amsterdam. “Her spirit and fight against male domination were thus erased,” she added.